Climate Change Nationally Determined Contributions Advisor Leba Gaunavinaka. [Photo: SAINIANI BOILA]
Vuniniudrovu village in Naitasiri is moving ahead with a phased relocation plan as repeated flooding and riverbank erosion continue to threaten homes and land.
Climate Change Nationally Determined Contributions Advisor Leba Gaunavinaka says the village has remained on government priority lists for years.
Gaunavinaka says ongoing erosion and flooding have made the area increasingly unsafe for settlement.
“The team have done a full comprehensive risk vulnerability assessment in the new global environment in 2025 to determine if they meet the urgent thresholds to pursue planned relocation. And with the recommendations from the CRE, a phased approach is undertaken to relocate first, and this is often what we found with a lot of the communities that have been assessed. So identifying the houses that fall within the red zones, so these ones get to be moved to safer grounds first.”
Women’s leader Savu Loakeli Nagonevulavula says relocation is the only option left, but it carries deep emotional weight.
“I have to uproot my plants, my flowers, the fruit trees I planted. My grandchild’s umbilical cord is buried here. This is where it all began for us. My family has been here for over 200 years. Some of our elders were born here. Their yavutu, their foundations, are here. When I tell them they have to leave their yavutu, there is always silence.”
Vuniniudrovu’s relocation reflects Fiji’s growing response to climate-driven displacement, as families face not only a physical move but also the painful loss of generations rooted in one place.
Vuniniudrovu is among 43 communities across Fiji flagged for urgent climate risk assessment.
